Bridge to Terabithia Transcends Kid-Flick Genre
Superb Kid Acting Gives Fantasy Film Magical Reality

Annasophia Robb and Josh Hutcherson let their imaginations run wild as Leslie and Jess in the new movie Bridge to Terabithia, based on the Newberry Award-winning young fiction best seller by Katherine Paterson.

I’ve always said that any movie that can make me laugh and cry in the space of two hours is worth its weight in gold. It’s that rare blend of humor and humanity that marks the best of the best.

The new movie Bridge to Terabithia, based on the 1978 Newberry Medal-winning novel by Katherine Paterson, earns its place among the best movies ever made for both kids and adults by treating both audiences as intelligent beings capable of laughing and crying in the same two hours. And it does so with a little magic, a lot of heart, and some of the most astounding pre-teen acting performances ever captured on film.

Bridge to Terabithia begins with country boy Jess Aarons (Josh Hutcherson) trying to be the fastest kid in his school (like Watauga County, the elementary schools of the movie contain kids kindergarten through eighth grade). At the big race at the beginning of the school year, Jess has to settle for second as the new girl in town, Leslie Burke (Annasophia Robb), sprints past all of the boys.

As it turns out, Leslie and her family are from the city and have just moved into the house next door to the Aarons. At first the two kids seem mismatched: Jess is a country boy who likes to draw, Leslie is a city girl who likes to write essays and build things. Slowly, they begin to understand that they have one thing in common: a wild imagination that helps them leave their school and family troubles behind.

Jess and Leslie begin to spend the majority of their post-school hours in a nearby wooded area they dub the Kingdom of “Terabithia.” There the obstacles they face in the real world are transformed into animals, trolls and flying monsters. The good things in their lives are also transformed and lead them toward reconciliation with their real lives.

Bridge to Terabithia is from Disney Pictures and Walden Media, the producers of last year’s hit movie The Chronicles of Narnia, and the two movies share many qualities, not the least of which is the glimpse of a magic realm as seen through the eye of a child. Terabithia, however, never lets the viewer forget that these incredible scenes are the creations of Jess and Leslie’s vivid imaginations. Of the two movies, it is the one that shows how these magical worlds are created and why they are essential for kids.

The real magic of Terabithia is created by the two young lead actors, Hutcherson and Robb, along with Bailey Madison who plays Jess’ little sister May Belle. Both leads are “veteran” actors with Hutcherson appearing as Walter in Zathura and Robb previously seen as Violet Beauregarde in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Opal in Because of Winn-Dixie.

Even the school bullies (played by Lauren Clinton, Cameron Wakefield and Elliot Lawless) are portrayed with remarkable humanity and realism.

The adult actors in Terabithia more than hold their own, and despite limited screen time Zooey Deschanel, Robert Patrick and Latham Gaines all add something important to the story (that is, if you can get past Patrick looking exactly like a slightly older T-1000 model from his star turn in Terminator 2).

Written for her own son, novelist Paterson has been surprised by the reception Bridge to Terabithia has received since it was first published.

“Honestly, when I first wrote the novel, I never really knew if anyone whose name wasn’t Paterson would understand it, and I never dreamed it would take on the life, even beyond books, that it has,” said Paterson. “It’s a magical thing that has happened, perhaps because it is the kind of story that opens itself up for people to bring their own lives to it, in a powerful way, so that the story becomes their story.”

Bridge to Terabithia is rated PG for thematic elements including bullying, some peril and mild language. It is currently playing at Regal Cinemas in Boone.

Beating The Winter Blahs

Everyone thinks that summer is the big money-making season for newly-released movies…but for the past few years the winter has been equally as strong when it comes to supporting a film in its first few weeks. The strong snowstorms that blanketed the Midwest and Northeast in February could have hurt the movie industry but actually seemed to have helped as families fight off cabin fever by spending a few hours in their local Cineplex.

For example, last weekend was particularly strong as new films Ghost Rider and Bridge to Terabithia earned $51.5 million and $29 million, respectively, at the box office in a scant three days. In its second weekend, the Eddie Murphy comedy Norbit was #3 and earned $20.7 million to push it past $60 million for its first ten days of release.

This winter’s biggest success story has to be Night at the Museum. It has remained in the Top Ten each week after its box office debut nine weeks ago. The Ben Stiller comedy has earned close to $240 million thus far.